Share

It wasn’t a case of third time lucky for Angus Ng Ka-long as the Hong Kong shuttler was beaten by Lee Hyun-iI, of South Korea, in the French Open in Paris on Saturday.

It was the third time in a row Ng lost to the same Korean following a straight games 21-17, 21-15 defeat in the semi-finals of the men’s singles event.

Coincidently, it was also Ng’s third appearance in a superseries tournament last four. He has now missed all three opportunities of making it to the final.

But head coach Tim He Yiming was not too disappointed with his charge’s performance especially in the opening stages of the tough encounter.

“Ng was able to lead in the opening part before his opponent came back, using his vast experience at international level,” said the coach. “Lee is also a skilled player with a similar style of Ng and once his opponent went into the lead, it proved very difficult for Ng to come back.

“But nonetheless, Ng’s performance was still very impressive throughout the tournament and he’s learning fast at the highest level. He will certainly make it one day if he continues to progress.”

With two superseries tournaments remaining, Ng stands a great chance of making it to the Dubai grand finals as he was in the top eight of the standings before the French tournament.

“He has beaten players with a high ranking in Paris and therefore his chances of reaching the grand finals still looks good,” said an optimistic He.

Only next month’s China Open, followed by the home event at the Coliseum in Hung Hom, remain in the qualification for the grand finals, which will feature the top eight singles players or pairs in the doubles.